This
week's Memphis event has launched a search for a new sponsor from 2013
in hopes of giving the indoor tournament new life. The current sponsor,
local financial house Regions Morgan Keegan, is on a one-year deal.

Now the race is on
for officials in the Deep South city to find a lifesaver who is willing
to foot the bill for both tournaments. While the hunt continues,
officials are tight-lipped about the effects of a less-than-ideal
outcome.

The challenge is not
putting off Memphis officials. Tournament director Peter Lebedevs told
the Commercial Appeal newspaper: "We've worked hard at trying to find
somebody (sponsor). It's just a difficult position, difficult time.

"Right now, we're in
the middle of the tournament and focusing on the operation and making
sure that tennis is great this week. I'm assuming everything is going to
be going forward and we're going to be successful," he said. "I'm not
even thinking about that."

The US stock market
may have cracked the 13,000 barrier for the first time since the depths
of the financial meltdown in 2008, but the businesses in the world's
biggest debtor nation hardly have cash to flash on an event which has to
compete head-on with the glitzy setup of a WTA tournament the same week
in the well-branded and Gulf emirate of Dubai.

Dubai follows up with
a one-two punch through next week's ATP event headed by Roger Federer
and Novak Djokovic and featuring Andy Murray.